Get ready for some daring displays at Tankfest

£: Admission costs £20.50 for adults and £13 for children. Children under 5 go free

What is it?

Tankfest, presented by World of Tanks, is due to take place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June in Dorset.

This year 20,000 visitors are expected to see the biggest display of moving armour in the world at The Tank Museum.

Many of the vehicles on display, such as the Second World War German Tiger Tank, are unique to The Tank Museum, as there are no other operational survivors in the world.

This year the event will start at 9am, when visitors can explore the Living History encampments and traders village, with a range of Militaria, books, models and souvenirs on sale. Then at 10.30am a day of powerful arena displays will begin, with no less than 60 historic tanks taking part. Morning displays will also see the British Army displaying a range of vehicles used on modern operations, including the mammoth Challenger 2 ‘Megatron’.

The ‘Lucy Sue’ Sherman tank at Tankfest.

There will be a display of high-powered historic armour in the afternoon, with a range of British, Russian, German and US armour dating from the Second World War. The afternoon’s displays will also see a rare Dutch visitor in the form of the Leopard 2A4 taking to the arena, kindly lent by the Historic Collection of the Royal Dutch Army.

Away from the arena, World of Tanks will be providing gaming stations, where visitors can win prizes. While inside the Museum (admission is included in the Tankfest ticket) visitors will have an opportunity to browse the Museum’s exhibitions; including the latest First World War exhibition.

There will be action in the air as well, with an original Second World War Douglas C-47 Dakota from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flying over the show.

The Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset holds the national collection of tanks and brings the story of tanks and tank crews to life. The museum has over 300 tanks from 26 nations, ranging from the world’s first ever tank, Little Willie, through to the British Army’s current Main Battle Tank, Challenger 2.

Eight exhibitions tell the story of armoured warfare spanning over 100 years of history. As visitors explore the Museum’s seven halls, they come face with face to face with tanks and hear true stories from the last century.